Showtime Unleashes Stand-alone OTT Service

Beating a previously announced deadline, Showtime said Tuesday it has launched its stand-alone streaming service via Apple, Roku, Hulu and Sony PlayStation Vue ahead of the July 12 season debuts of network original series Ray Donovan and Masters of Sex.

In the early going, Showtime is distributing the new over-the-top offering via the Apple platform (Apple TV, iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch devices) and Roku-powered devices (Roku streaming players, streaming sticks and integrated Roku TVs) for $10.99 per month. PlayStation Vue, Sony’s recently launched virtual pay-TV service, is also offering Showtime nationally on an a la carte basis for $10.99 per month, and $8.99 per month to Sony PlayStation Plus members. Hulu, meanwhile, is selling Showtime in a bundle – new and existing Hulu subs will continue to pay $7.99 per month for the baseline Hulu service, and pay an additional $8.99 per month for Showtime, for a combined monthly cost of $16.98.

All of those distributors are currently offering new customers a free 30-day trial subscription to the Showtime’s new standalone offering, Showtime said.

Consumers who buy in for the standalone Showtime service, which features a VOD library and access to Showtime’s live East and West coast feeds, can also laccess content at Showtime.com. Showtime also booted up this promotional video of the service with the tagline: "Get It. Stream It."

Showtime’s OTT launch comes on the heels of the recent debut of HBO Now, a standalone service that is being distributed by Apple and Cablevision Systems and, this summer, will also become available via Google Play and Android-powered devices, including those that run the new Android TV OS. Those services are expected to target a small but growing group of cord-cutters and consumers who have never taken a traditional pay TV service.

Showtime Anytime, the programmer’s authenticated TV Everywhere service that requires users to have a pay TV subscription, is currently offered on Web browsers, iOS and Android mobile devices, Roku players and Roku TVs, the Amazon Fire TV box and Fire TV Stick, Xbox 360 and Xbox One, Apple TV, and is also optimized for the Google Chromecast streaming adapter.